Dayton Metropolitan Police Exhibits
Past, Present and Future
PAST
“Patrolling the Streets of Dayton”
Dayton Police History Foundation, ever-dedicated to the preservation of our local police past, sponsored the six-month exhibit, “Patrolling the Streets of Dayton”, at Carillon Historical Park in 2008. Attendance records were not kept but park officials know the exhibit was visited by 20,000 children, making it a community success by DPHF's measure.
Present
“Bootleggers, Bandits, and Badges: From Dry Times to Hard Times in Dayton, Ohio”
This exhibit recounts stories of the Temperance movement, Prohibition bootlegging, and Great Depression heists. This fascinating component of the proposed police museum (shown as "The Gangster Era" on the floor plan) opened on October 28, 2019 at Carillon Historical Park. This temporary exhibit is DPHF’s most ambitious project to date, and most popular presentation! It closed after a successful four-year run on December 31, 2023.
Future
It is time for Dayton police history to be reintroduced in a permanent setting!
When the 2008 Exhibit closed, there remained a desire to keep the history alive! In years since, the interest in the story of local law enforcement has manifested in publications, presentations, smaller exhibits, and even film accounts. The time has come to bring back together the police artifacts, intriguing photographs and compelling stories that were dispersed in 2008.
In December 2015, DPHF engaged Exhibit Concepts, Inc. to illustrate an exhibit building based on an actual 1902 Dayton police patrol house. Interior concept renderings were completed as well.
Now, DPH Foundation officials are taking the necessary steps to begin a campaign to raise $1.5 million and are actively engaged in discussions. Visit us often to follow the police museum initiative as it unfolds.
